As the miniaturization of silicon-based electronic devices continues to approach physical, technical and economic limits, the electronics industry faces the new challenge of identifying materials that can replace silicon to overcome these limits, making much denser and ultra-miniaturized electronic devices. DNA is a promising candidate material drawing widespread interest in studies of its electrical properties, particularly as to whether it is a conductive wire, a semiconductor, an insulator, or even a superconductor. Through an improved understanding of DNA electrical properties, DNA-based electronics could form the basis for molecular scale electronics, extending well beyond the silicon-based electronics limitations.
DNA, the building block of life, has been the center of biological research and industries for five decades. Just after the famous DNA double helix structure was discovered, scientists found that DNA was semi-conductive. In the past few years, the observation of DNA's conductivity properties brought renewed attention in the search for new materials for next generation nano-technologies and microelectronics. The question surfaced as to whether DNA could be also the building block for molecular electronics and play a pivotal role in the future of modern electronics. More recently, the interests in the DNA conductivity have been greatly increased and more investigations have been carried out. However, the results are confusing and contradictory, so far showing that the DNA conductivity could be an insulator, semiconductor, conductor or a proximate-induced superconductor.